Swisslog Healthcare, in conjunction with robotic pioneer, Savioke, Inc., announced the full market launch of Relay robot, a new Autonomous Service Robot (ASR) for deployment in healthcare settings. Initially deployed for pharmacy and laboratory pick-up and delivery, the Relay robot helps hospitals optimize labor productivity.

“Today’s healthcare environment challenges nurses, lab techs, and pharmacists to decide how they spend their valuable time,” says Cory Kwarta, North America President, Swisslog Healthcare. “The Relay ASR is an advanced delivery technology helping hospitals optimize labor productivity and more effectively allocate resources to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it.”

The Relay robot safely and reliably transports items throughout the hospital; freeing up nurses, pharmacists, lab techs, and other skilled workers to focus on more valuable work and patient care. Able to operate elevators, doors and navigate in busy public corridors, Relay delivers medicines, blood, lab specimens, snacks and documents safely and reliably 24 hours a day.

Several hospitals in the US and Europe have contracted with Swisslog Healthcare to deploy Relay robots to improve lab and pharmacy workflow. Hutchinson Health, in Minnesota, deployed Relay in May to deliver blood and specimens between the central laboratories and adjoining clinics and is already seeing significant skilled labor savings each day.

“After four years providing service in the hospitality industry, we are thrilled to see Relay doing such important work in the healthcare space,” says Steve Cousins, Founder & CEO, Savioke, Inc.  “With many hospitals already short staffed, Relay can handle the tasks that typically take skilled healthcare workers away from their primary, critical responsibility of caring for or serving patients.”